Silver Archangel
Ander's flight into fate...
When Aleksander Vanstandtvoort accidentally flew through a Transgalactic Rift and arrived on Thanged, the experience disoriented him so badly he crashed his fighter plane in the canopy of the Eastern Jungle. The impact knocked him unconscious, leaving him hanging upside down by his seat belt in the cockpit. The creaking of the craft starting to sag in the vines keeping it aloft startled him awake and he hurriedly unbuckled himself, clambering down the vines to the ground. Much to his dismay, the plane came loose entirely, falling to the ground in a wreck. Left with no means of transportation or communication, Aleksander gathered what supplies and tools he could and set out for distant sunlight, leaving the plane behind. Eventually finding his way into Kundain then Bainshaebo, Aleksander believed he would never see his craft again...
Purpose / Function
Originally displayed as a curiosity of the House of St'lur, the Silver Archangel was moved indoors and converted into a shrine after Ander's death at the Battle of Banguk.
History
Forced to leave his beloved Curtiss P-40 Warhawk behind in the sweltering jungle where it crashed, Aleksander Vanstandtvoort made the arduous trek across the seemingly seemingly endless plain before arriving at a massive walled city beside a great river. After some time getting his bearings and fully digesting his situation, he resigned himself to permanent residence on this strange new world.
Many years later, a party of Freelanders arrived at the main gate carrying a strange metal wreck on a wooden sled. They had dragged it all the way from the Eastern Jungle and knew it came from the Oldworld, and must carry great value to the city-folk. Aleksander-now Ander Vai Stel Vethu-recognized it immediately as his old fighter and Yainae bartered for it on his behalf. Not possessing the mechanical know-how or resources to restore the craft, Ander despaired of ever returning to the sky. Yainae comforted him that he would find other ways to fly.
Without a body to inter after the Battle of Banguk, Yainae commissioned the construction of the shrine around the wreck of the Silver Archangel, where it remains to this day behind a life-size statue of Ander in his prime.
Tourism
The wreck is visited regularly by pilgrims venerating the Far Star Traveller and by family members of the House of St'lur. It is considered a holy font blessed by the Four Queens and consecrated by the Silver-Haired Maiden.
Kayura and Danae ducked into a shrine close to the home of the House of St’lur. Danae could not possibly reach Thananagreia in her condition. She knelt on a cushion in the middle of the room while Kayura searched the walls for an exit. Thick columns lined the inner walls, but aside from the entrance, Kayura couldn’t see any other doors.“We can’t stay here, Danae! We’re sitting ducks!” “I will go no further,” Danae said firmly. Kayura heard the conviction in her voice. She opened her mouth to reason with her but paused when she saw what rest at the center of the shrine. A life-size statue of a man with a sword resting on his hip and long hair flowing down his back loomed infront of Danae. Unlike most Thangien men, this figure sported a handlebar mustache. Kayura blinked when she saw something else. She walked past and saw the twisted wreck resting on a short platform. Kayura didn’t know much about the World Wars, but she knew an aircraft when she saw it. She walked over and spotted a brass plate bolted to the chassis. She thumbed layers of dust away and leaned close to read the lettering: CURTISS P-40. A faded paint-peeled image of an angel adorned the hull below the cockpit. Bold lettering read “Silver Archangel”. Visions came to mind of a man crash-landing in the forests beyond Kundain. Unable to return to Earth, he did his best to acclimate to his new home. Explorers had retrieved the wreck of his aircraft and he despaired of ever being able to fly again. A much younger Yainae comforted him that he would find other ways to fly, and this culminated in the legendary contest of wills with Skybolt Sunhammer above the roofs of the city. The man learned of the existence of his enemy, Roland, who entertained delusions of subjugating the city. The man challenged him to a duel to the death, to which Roland agreed, but just as the man gained the upper hand, Roland pulled out a boxy-looking pistol with a short thin barrel and landed an almost-fatal shot into the man’s ribcage. Roland taunted the man by threatening Yainae. The man pushed himself to his feet and began slashing at Roland, screaming with each strike. While Roland parried the blows easily, the man’s strikes grew more frenetic instead of weakening, startling Roland. The man raised his sword and brought it down towards Roland and screamed, and the universe screamed with him. Light erupted from the blade and bore down upon Roland like an immense fist, crushing him into the ground and scouring him from physical existence. The man opened his eyes and recoiled upon seeing a deep pit where Roland had once stood. This had to be a shrine to Ander, Danae’s father, once known as Aleksander Vanstandtvoort. Now it made sense why Danae preferred to seek refuge here.
Founding Date
1940 (aircraft manufacture), 1980's (shrine construction)
Type
Shrine
Parent Location
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